How do you do it?

The last few days I've been really on top of things. It's not super overwhelming. Well, sure it can be at times. But that's just being a mom, right? Anyway, I think this new system I've come up with is really going to help me stay on top of everything. At least, so far it's working. I guess we'll see as time goes on.

I've got my housework and other responsibilities divided up (somewhat) evenly throughout the week. Yesterday I didn't get it all done. But today I made up for it by getting today's work done, finishing yesterday's work, and having a little recreation time to spare! I'd call that balance.

But sometimes it still feels like I could/should be doing more. And other times it feels like I'm cramming too much into a single day. Either way, I know there's no way I can do it all and still sleep. I'm the first to admit that I am NOT Super Mom!!

So I'm just wondering how you guys do it. How do you balance it all? How do you get everything done? Is one day set aside to clean the house? Or do the laundry? Or do you do a little each day? And when do you SLEEP?!

Another New Blog

I've started a new blog. I'm doing it for me, not anyone else. I want to make permanent improvements to my life. I need to journal it. But I don't write in a journal. So I'm blogging it. Because somehow that's easier than a journal.

This new blog is super personal to me. I generally try to write things as honestly as I can. But the truth is, every now and then I delete something or just leave it out or change it a little because I know someone may read it. I can't do that with this blog. I will write near daily (hopefully) and will write as if I am the only one who will ever see it.

I am writing it for me. To keep me striving for goals that I feel are so important to my happiness. I am sharing it in hopes that someone else may find it useful. Someone else might not feel alone. And because maybe we can help each other be better

I've posted once. I plan to post again tomorrow morning. Maybe tomorrow night. We'll see. I'm kind of nervous about it. I have a lot of stuff in my head that I want to write about it but it's late. I need to get up early. So good night!!

My Best Mother's Day Present

This is a video Payson made of herself singing "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret sung by Liza Minelli, but sung here by Kristin Chenowith on "Glee". Payson has become more obsessed with the music of Glee than I have. It's provided some awesome entertainment. She realizes I'm watching her towards the end, but the beginning is great!! This has been my favorite thing this Mother's Day so I had to share it with you!! Enjoy!!

I won! I won! I won!

I'm so excited!! I just won my friend Tiffany's giveaway! Tiffany and I met when we were all newlyweds up at BYU-Idaho living in the University Courtyard Closets. Oh! Sorry, I mean Apartments.

Tiffany is so awesome and has always been my biggest supporter as I try to change my lifestyle and get healthy. It doesn't matter how many times I give up and then start over. She gets it because she's been there. She knows how hard it is to take control of your health and get it into gear. And she passionate about helping others to do the same thing. So she and her sister, Heather, have started a blog, Be Well, to help the rest of us in being healthy.

They give away advice and tips, recipes, encouragement, and AWESOME workout videos by Lindsay Brin. Lindsay focuses specifically on helping moms to get into shape. I have five of her dvds (and love them) already and just won another one from Tiff. You guys really HAVE to check her out. She's giving away another dvd right now that I'm hoping to win!!

He has what?!

Remember this post? Well, today we've had a repeat. No, not of mono. Just another random and completely unexpected diagnosis here.

Monday night we hung out with some neighbor friends for FHE. We fed the missionaries, ate yummy food (seriously, Candace made homemade onion rings and burgers that were TO DIE FOR!), and let the kids go wild.

At the end of the night Jack was getting a little tired and cuddly. It was late, so it didn't phase me. When we got home I put him right in to bed (clothes on and all) and he was out like a light. I noticed he was a little warm, but still wasn't too worried.

I took his temperature the next morning. It was 100.1 degrees. Definitely a fever, but not too high. I gave him a little motrin and the fever broke. He laid around and slept a lot yesterday, but I kept giving him motrin and just watched him closely, meanwhile enjoying the snuggle time I was getting. :)

This morning his fever was lower (99 degrees) but he had a rash. Boo. I was on the phone with a neighbor when I noticed it. She mentioned that chicken pox were going around. Yuck. But my kids were vaccinated. ?? Maybe Jack is one of the like 5% who get it anyway. I called my mom and she suggested it my just be roseola. Either way, I knew there was nothing the doctor would do so I just decided to keep an eye on him and take him in if things got worse.

Then I looked online at information on both Chicken Pox and Roseola and Jack's symptoms didn't really match either one, so I called the doctor's office to ask what they thought. They said that a few fever and rash involved illnesses had been going around and suggested I bring Jack in.

Do I need to give you three guesses again? Or shall I just tell you what he's got this time?

Scarlet Fever.

Honestly. Wasn't it eradicated ages ago along with polio and the plague?! Apparently not. Because Jack's got it. Poor kid.

Luckily we went in and he's now on the antibiotics needed to help his little body fight it. I'm keeping Payson home from school this week so that we don't spread it. So the three of us will be holed up all week watching movies, playing games, and hopefully NOT sharing this lovely disease with each other. Pray that Jack is the only one who gets it!! (Especially because it is MUCH worse in adults.) :(

For now I'm just going to enjoy all the cuddles I can from this usually super active little guy of mine. :)

Am I a bad mother?

I believe without a doubt that the answer to this question is NO. A very, very, very firm no. I am no where near perfect. I makes millions of mistakes with my kids a day. I'm positive that I am screwing them up irreparably. I think we all do this to our children. :) But I'm doing the best I can. And when I know I'm failing, I try something new and do better. I believe that even on my worst day I am a good mother.

Why am I telling you all this? Because today, someone called the cops on my parenting. Seriously. This may be another controversial topic. But I'm posting it not only because I genuinely want the opinions of women that I respect, but also because I really do believe that you will validate me.

Early this afternoon I ran to the grocery store with the kids. Just inside the automatic glass doors is a redbox machine. I was returning a couple of movies. I parked in the very first parking space in the center of the lot, just in front of the doors. My windows were rolled down. My kids were buckled into their carseat and booster. I turned off the car and ran in to return the movie.

***GASP*** YES! I left the kids in the car. I was in the store for 1, MAYBE 2 minutes. I could see and hear my children the entire time.

When I left, after I was around the block I was pulled over. Someone had called the police and reported me for leaving the kids. The officer explained what had happened and informed me that he wanted to make me aware of child safety.

I explained to them that I could see and hear the kids, they were in their seats, I was in there for 2 minutes or less, etc. He asked the children's ages. I told him 5 and almost 3. He said he had seen 3 year olds wander in parking lots before. I explained that my son was buckled into his 5 point harness carseat belt and couldn't get out. He said that I could brush this off but that if I did it again it was likely someone would call again and that I would be talked to again. Legally he couldn't do anything but talk to me. He was just doing his job. I stood my ground.

Personally, I don't believe I was even remotely endangering my kids. And this is not the first or last time I have done this. When I run in to pay for gas, when I drop something off at a friend's house, etc. Maybe you think I'm wrong. I strongly disagree.

Let me add that I do understand where this caller is coming from. I understand that it is not safe to leave children unattended in car. Heat, strangers, wandering, etc are all dangers. But I was making sure none of those things were factors. I could see the kids, they were buckled in, and the windows were down. (Besides, it's April and where I live we get SNOW in JUNE.)

I have seen children left in cars and been concerned before. But if I was concerned enough to do anything I have waited and watched. Generally a parent shows up within a minute or two and I don't worry about it and go on with my own business. If this caller had done that there wouldn't have been a problem. You see, the police officer didn't even have time to get to the store. And we live in a TINY town. This is the only grocery store. He didn't have far to go. He had to track me down and check my plates.

Anyway, you get my point. So what do you think? Am I just flat out wrong? And be honest. It really won't hurt my feelings if you disagree.

A year without diapers...

Is that really going to be my life? A whole year with NO diapers?

Sure I'm sad about not having some cute tiny little newborn diapers to change in just a few months. But if I'm going to be looking on the bright side of things, this is definitely a plus!

I've been thinking for quite a while now that Jack is pretty much ready to take the potty training plunge. I just didn't want to overwhelm myself and no time ever seemed like a good time. But this morning, completely out of the blue, I couldn't think of any reason NOT to start. So I asked Jack about it and he was in.

It started out great, which made me nervous. He was going in the potty every time, but I was the one reminding him to go. And of course the second I got distracted with something he had two accidents (thankfully both easy-clean-up-number-ones), one right after the other.

So we had a little chat and I kept reminding him to tell me when he needed to go and all of the sudden he was! And he keeps telling me! Number one, number two, he has made it every time! This is insane to me!

So tonight, as promised, we are heading to the store to pick out a toy or treat. And we'll do the same thing tomorrow night. And probably every night this week just to be sure he really gets it.

Of course, you never know. I could be getting ahead of myself here. But I really do think he's got it! Do you know what this means? It seriously means I'll have ZERO kids in diapers for around a year! A few months to heal and nine months of pregnancy. That's a year even if we get pregnant right away! In about 4 months I'll have no kids in diapers, a child in school all day, and Jack will be in preschool twice a week for a few hours. No kids in diapers and FIVE WHOLE HOURS to myself with no kid related interruptions!

Wow. My life is changing fast. Maybe too fast. I'm not going to slow down the diaper thing, but do I really have to send my firstborn off to school so soon?